Projectile



7 (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. GAIL. PROJEGTILE.

No. 406,334. Patented July 2, 1889.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sh'et 2.

R. GAIL. PBOJEGTILE.

No. 406,334 Patented July 2, 1889.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD OAIL, OF NEWVOASTLE-UPON-TYNE, COUNTY OF NORTHUMBERLAND,ENGLAND.

PROJECTILE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 406,334, dated July 2,1889.

Application filed January 30, 1889- Serial No. 298,065- (No model.)Patented in England December 16, 1886, No. 16,542 in France February 21,1887, No. 181,688, and in Germany March 2, 1887, No. 41,195.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, RICHARD GAIL, civil engineer, a subject of the Queenof Great Britain, residing at Newcastle-npon-Tyne, in the county ofNorthumberland, England, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Projectiles for Ordnance, and especially Projectiles forPiercing Armor-Plates, (for whichI have received Letters Patent in GreatBritain, No. 16,542, dated December 16, 1886; in France, No. 181,683,dated February 21, 1887, and in Germany, No. 41,195, dated March 2,1887,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention has for its object improvements in projectiles forordnance, and especially projectiles for piercing armor-plates. For thispurpose I make the nose of the projectile of a conical form, and uponthe face of the cone I form a spiral groove or screw. The side of thegroove is parallel to the axis of the projectile and presents asquare-shouldered cutting-edge in the direct line of force, which, asthe projectile penetrates the plate,

acts progressively to pare away the sides of the hole produced by thepointed end of the projectile and enlarge the hole to the full size topermit the body of the projectile to pass through without incurring thelateral 3o resistance in the plate to be pierced to which the ordinarysegmental point is subjected.

I prefer to employ a gun with a smooth bore and to obtain the rotationof the projectile by a suitable configuration of its ex- 3 5 ierior.

I provide a gas-check at the rear of the projectile, consisting of acopper ring angular in. section. It is attached by tap-screws to theflat base of the projectile, and also bears 0 against the bore of thegun; or an external jacket may be provided which projects at the rear,so as to form a gas-check. These projectiles can be loaded either fromthe muzzle or rear and are suitable for smooth or rifled guns.

Figure 1 shows a side View, partly in section, of a projectileconstructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 shows a transversesection on the line X Y, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a rear view of the same.Fig. 1 isa longitudi- 5o nal section, and Fig. 5 a transverse section,of

a modified projectile.

As is seen in Figs. 1 and 4, the nose of the projectile is made with asquare-shouldered spiral groove 0. a around it.

b b are the grooves around the body of the projectile, by which it isrotated when fired from a smooth-bore gun These grooves extend from thefront end of the body to within a short distance from the rear end. Inthe modification shown in Figs. 4 and 5 these grooves are covered by thejacket 0, which is shrunk on the body of the projectile.

dis the gas-check of angular section, which makes a tight joint betweenthe projectile and the bore; but inclined holes 6 e are bored outwardand forward from the rear of the projectile to the ends of therifle-grooves upon its surface and allow gas to pass into the openrifled grooves, or they might be tubes.

In Figs. 4 and 5 the rear end of the jacket forms the gas-check, holes eebeing provided, as before.

I claim- 1. A projectile having a spiral groove with an annular cuttingor boring edge extending circumferentially around its nose,substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

2. A projectile provided with an annular recessed gas-check at its.rear, and having upon or near its surface helical grooves or tubesregistering with the recess in the annular gas-check, the ends of saidhelical grooves or tubes being open, so as to allow the powder-gases topass through them to rotate the projectile, substantially as hereinbcfwe set forth.

RICHARD GAIL.

lVitnesses:

J NO. WM. NORTH, MATTHEW SHAW,

Clerks to lllessrs. Wade, Bilbrough, Booth d2 00., Solra, Bradford.

